La Bodega 47 Delivers Tasty Bites and Delicious Cocktails

My team and I headed up to Harlem for an afternoon of team bonding at La Bodega 47, a recently opened restaurant that features an impressive rum collection. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the neighborhood and also have their mixologists create some custom cocktails with Captain Morgan Rum. I'd say we accomplished that mission, and then some!

One of the first cocktails I had was the Storm Warning, made with rum, applejack, ginger, lemon, fresh thyme and soda water. DELICIOUS! Ginger is so popular right now - if you haven't tried it, make sure to try ginger beer. It isn't ginger ale and it isn't beer; it is absolutely tasty though! The trend of pairing savory herbs is cocktails (thyme) is really catching on - I love it.

Storm Warning

Overall, the menu features an impressive list of options that rivals many Manhattan bars you find a bit lower in the city. These cocktails match or exceed the quality but certainly are lower in price - such a nice feature.

The Menu!

We had a BUNCH of tapas. I was too busy eating them, so I failed my food-tography duties. One of my favorite dishes was the Shrimp & Grits (below). It featured a lovely broth with tender shrimp and creamy (read: buttery) grits. We also had the mac & cheese (YUM), spinach. beets and caramelized onion salad (love beets!), roasted Brussels sprouts (tasty), Chorizo & Goat Cheese quesadilla (SO GOOD), short rib nachos (so rich and tasty), panko crusted calarmari (yummy!), sweet & spicy chicken wings (didn't try them), The food was very impressive - it matched the quality of the cocktails. It is such a pleasant experience when the food and drinks are at parity - often one suffers. NOT HERE! :)

Shrimp & Cheddar Grits

Something delicious with Captain Morgan White and Mango

I loved hearing the owner's (Brian Washington-Palmer) story - Harlem is undergoing a renaissance (Whole Foods is coming!) and a quintessential part of the cultural fabric of the neighborhood (the bodega) is disappearing. What better way to honor the history of Harlem than to reimagine something at its very core? That is exactly what Brian has done. He has been aided by Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, president of business development group Harlem Park to Park.

This portrait drives all design decisions at La Bodega

When you walk in to the restaurant, you feel its soul. The portrait above has guided Brian has his point of inspiration in design. She is pretty damn happy - and you will be too when you come to La Bodega 47!